Waukegan youth police academy gives teens a glimpse behind the badge; ‘Cops do a lot of different things’

A group of 18 teens enrolled in the Waukegan Youth Citizen Police Academy during their winter break learned a number of things about police work. When one showed disrespect to a classmate during a traffic stop simulation, it was time for a practical lesson.

Sitting in chairs in the classroom, the student playing the role of a police officer used some sarcasm when approaching his classmate, who was acting as the driver. Waukegan police Sgt. Alejos Villalobos interrupted the discourse.

“Everything you say is on your bodycam,” Villalobos said. “You’ll be going viral for a bad reason. You don’t want to curse at people, or argue with them. They want to argue with you, but you can’t argue with them.”

Cadets like Ayanna Amaro, a Waukegan High School junior, got the message about being courteous before Villalobos made his comments about bodycams, including how to conduct a sobriety test during a DUI stop.

“We learned a lot about DUIs,” Amaro said. “We learned how to do a sobriety test, and the procedure to follow when doing it.”

Amaro was one of 18 area high school students learning about police work and community involvement from officers during the weeklong Waukegan Youth Citizen Police Academy at several locations around the city including the main police station.

Starting in 2016, Villalobos said this year’s edition was the first since the coronavirus pandemic caused a hiatus in 2021. It is an opportunity to educate young people about the nature of police work and perhaps motivate some to consider a career in law enforcement.

At the start of the week, there was a lot of classroom time — the program ran for four days — learning about the various divisions of the police department, like patrol, investigations, community policing and even the canine division, complete with a demonstration.

Amaro was impressed with the dog demonstration. She said several containers were placed around the room with one designed to have a scent of cocaine, though it was not the real controlled substance.

“It was pretty cool,” Amaro said. “They placed the containers around the room and the dog knew which one it was. He went right to it.”

Along with traffic-stop simulation in the classroom Thursday, students went into the parking lot and did it with an actual squad car and a vehicle with an officer in the role of someone being stopped.

There were other simulations where the students put what they learned into practice, as well as a mock trial at the Lake County Courthouse and Administration Building across the street from the police station. Villalobos said the teens learned about the role of an officer in the courtroom.

Appropriate behavior for a police officer was also discussed. As Villalobos talked to the students about how to talk to a driver during a traffic stop, Officer Chris Harris emphasized courtesy explaining what could happen if the driver was displeased with the outcome.

“You know what they’re going to do? They’re going to come in the next day and file a complaint,” Cruz said. “You’ll be watching what was on your bodycam with an (internal affairs) officer and your union rep. You don’t ever want that.”

Offering a lesson in diplomacy when a student decided to give a driver three tickets — one for speeding, one for a faulty taillight and one for heavily tinted windows — Villalobos suggested two tickets and a verbal warning for the third.

“The driver might feel like you’re giving him a break,” he said. “You’re educating the drivers, too.”

Amaro said one of the reasons she took the class was to learn more about a potential career in law enforcement. Shakeya Watts, a Waukegan High School senior, said she too had thoughts about a career related to policing.

“I want to learn about law enforcement,” Watts said. “I know someone in dispatch who told me about it. I learned when you’re holding a gun you never put your finger above the trigger unless you’re going to shoot.”

Ricardo Ocampo, a Waukegan High School junior, said he learned  how police are involved in the community and spend some of their time giving back to the public. The class spent time during the week volunteering at Feed My Starving Children.

“Cops do a lot of different things,” Ocampo said. “They try to help people.”